Commissioner wants Tuscarawas County funding reinstated

Between diminished interest revenue and the state budget cuts to local government funding, Tuscarawas County has experienced an annual loss of $3 million in funding. That’s exactly what Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl told the Ohio House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Subcommittee recently when ...

Between diminished interest revenue and the state budget cuts to local government funding, Tuscarawas County has experienced an annual loss of $3 million in funding.

That’s exactly what Tuscarawas County Commissioner Chris Abbuhl told the Ohio House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Subcommittee recently when he asked them to reinstate local funding — and the point got across when he met with federal officials in Washington, D.C.

Abbuhl met with state representatives to ask that local government funding be reinstated in full. The funding has been cut in half since 2011, he said. In 2011, the county received $1.5 million. In 2012, it was down to $1 million. And in 2013, it was down again to $800,000.

Interest revenue, which was $2.5 million in 2007, is down to $127,000, he said.

Since the downturn in revenue, county commissioners said the board had to take several cost-effective measures, including closing the county home, avoiding pay increases for nonbargaining employees for the past four years, not filling vacant positions, and cutting back on assistance that would be used for economic development purposes.

“If we really want to see economic recovery and growth in Ohio, then we must continue the long history of partnership that Ohio has experienced since 1934 when the Local Government Fund was created,” Abbuhl told representatives. “I’m simply asking that we continue that history of working cooperatively together in re-establishing full funding to the Local Government Fund that provides services to all of the constituents that we collectively serve in Ohio.”

When it comes to economic growth, Abbuhl said the county uses the funding to support water and sewer-line projects, prepare the roads and have utilities available so that property is “shovel ready” for a business to move in.

Abbuhl was among 38 individuals testifying about local government funding or sales tax proposals. Abbuhl said he is asking the state to do what Tuscarawas County Commissioners already do, share the funding. He said county government shares its revenue with the municipalities, townships and villages.

“The stronger our townships, villages and cities are, the stronger our county is,” he said. “We are stronger as a state if we are stronger within.”

Abbuhl also met with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, to discuss funding for the federal Appalachian Regional Commission. The ARC consists of 13 states and several organizations.

He said OMEGA provides revolving loans at a low-interest rate for a variety of projects, such as retaining grant writers, building infrastructure to enable businesses to move to the area with ease, and capital projects.

He said the federal officials from Ohio that he spoke with are very receptive, but senators and representatives who aren’t from Appalachia will need to be convinced it’s a good investment.